Ford eTransit 15 Seat Minibus

ELECTRIC

AUTOMATIC

About This Minibus

The Ford E-Transit 15-seat minibus, Ford’s first electric commercial vehicle, offers a blend of efficiency, comfort, and safety. It has an electric motor at the rear, a revised rear suspension, and new crash structures for occupant and battery protection.

The E-Transit features a 360 camera, reverse brake assist, and blind spot assist, contributing to its Euro NCAP Gold Award for safety. It boasts up to 196 miles WLTP overall range, with a 68kW battery that charges to 80% in just over half an hour using a 115kW charger.

More about the E-Transit 15-seater minibus

Ford’s 2023 E-Transit Minibus has finally arrived and is available to lease from Rivervale Minibus.

This 15 seat (14 passengers and driver) is Ford’s first electric commercial vehicle. The E-Transit van itself has already bagged the What Car 2023 awards for Overall Commercial Van, Best Electric Van and Best Large Van. Although these awards are not for the minibus specifically, the E-Transit Minibus is a variation of the commercial van, converted to a minibus to offer superior efficiency, comfort and safety.

Based on the design of the best-selling Transit Van the E-Transit’s electric motor is in the rear of the van, which means the rear suspension has been completely revised. New crash structures have been developed to protect both the vehicle’s occupants and the battery pack.

With ample space and comfort for 14 passengers, the Ford E-Transit is an obvious contender for those looking for an electric minibus. We, at Rivervale Minibus consider it to be of better quality than the Renault Master E-Tech and it offers a much better driving range than the Mercedes-Benz eSprinter. Its closest contender is the Maxus eDeliver9 15-seat which we also have available to lease.

Safety Features

The E-Transit has a reversing camera that shows you the world around you on the large 12” screen in the cab. Together with reverse break assist it makes reversing safer and easier, it will break automatically if it detects something the driver hasn’t spotted.

Blind spot assist monitors for other vehicles entering your blind spot as you change lands. If the driver doesn’t respond to initial warnings, it will gently steer you safely back into your lane.

These and other safety features meant the E-Transit was awarded the Euro NCAP Gold Award, Europe’s leading safety organisation.

How far will the E-Transit Electric Minibus travel on a single charge?

Driving range is always the biggest concern with electric vehicles. The range is dependent on several things:

The payload (how heavy the vehicles is on that journey)
The speed you drive at and the type of roads you’re driving on (urban vs countryside v motorways)
The use of electrically powered features in the minibus such as heating or air conditioning

Taking all this into account the Ford E-Transit boasts and impress mileage of up to 196 miles WLTP overall range and 166 miles for WLTP Extra High range motorway driving.

WLTP is the Worldwide harmonised light vehicle test procedure is the new standard of testing for fuel consumption for petrol and diesel cars, energy consumption for electric and hybrid vehicles, CO2 emissions, NOx emissions and CO – carbon monoxide – emissions. The WLTP overall range is the average mileage for a vehicle across all road types.

Ford has also done a lot of its own testing to establish a ‘dependable’ real-world range of at least 100 miles. Dependable Ford means this range is achievable in any weather, with any payload using a battery that’s five years old.

If you have concerns about the mileage range then Ford has a handy E-Transit range calculator where you can enter your driving environment (motorway, urban, suburban, rural or mixed), the temperature outside, your payload and your tires.

How long will it take to charge?

The time your vehicle takes to charge depends on the size of the battery in your vehicle and the speed of the charging unit. A 150kW charger will deliver electricity twice as fast as a 75kW charger because it is twice as powerful.

An easy rule to remember is to divide the capacity of your battery by the kW of the charger. The Ford E-Transit with a 68kW battery would take a little over half an hour to charge to 80% from a 115kW charge point or nine hours on a 7.4kw charger (68kW divided by 7.4kW = 9 hours).

You can charge your vehicle at your workplace, home or out on the road at a selection of charging points. We recommend you take advantage of the Government’s Workplace Charging Scheme (WCS) and have a smart charger installed. It is the most cost-effective way of running your electric vehicle.

What if you’ve never driven an electric minibus before?

To help drivers make the most of their charge, the Ford E-Transit Minibus has a central touchscreen that gives you real-time feedback on how efficiently power is being used and makes suggestions on how to improve efficiency – even offering spoken guidance for repeated or abrupt inefficiencies.

As there are no gears in an electric vehicle, it is like driving an automatic. The ‘gear lever’ has been replaced with a rotary dial to control the single-speed transmission, and the manual electronic handbrake is activated by a switch below to the right of the steering wheel.

Can the E-Transit be driven on a standard car licence?

You will need D1 entitlement to drive the Ford E-Transit as the weight of the battery makes the GVW 4250kg.

In Summary

If you are looking for a powerful electric minibus that will offer you a reliable mileage range and a quiet, smooth and comfortable drive, then the Ford E-Transit, built to the same quality as its diesel counterpart, is the obvious choice. Every electric vehicle comes with charge and range constraints, but these can be overcome with planning.

While there is availability, if you are interested in leasing the Ford E-Transit, Rivervale will let you have a vehicle for a week’s trial to ensure it is right for you. If you have any questions or would like a leasing quote, please give us a call on 01869 253744 or email minibus@rivervale.co.uk.